Machine for decoding symbols



June 11', 1940. w. D. RYAN ET AL MACHINE FOR DECODING SYMBOLS Filed June14, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS w 48 Er ATTORNEY.

June 11, 1940. w. D. RYAN ET AL MACHINE FOR DECODING SYMBOLS Filed June14, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I II 3,; ATTORNEY. I

June 11, 1940. w RYAN ET AL 2,204,153

MACHINE FOR DECODING SYMBOLS Filed June 14, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENT ORS ma; ATTORNEY.

June 11, 1940. w D RYAN ET AL MACHINE FOR DECODING SYMBOLS Filed June14, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 2 E97 4 I HIjlIII J I ufim L m I;

I- a a4 IIIIHJTLUMH m M/mnmum 1 [I 66 61 1.0] u 4 m [3 u I 3 t r J 76. QE 61 01L Q{ 1 E1 1 Zak- ATTORNEY.

June 11, 1940. w 3, RYAN ET AL 2,204,153

MACHINE FOR DECODING SYMBOLS Filed June 14, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 5.-.\-mimlmi m mxwlw 1N VENTORS 2Z1: ah ATTORNEY.

June 11, 1940. w Y ET L 2,204,153

MACHINE FOR DECODING SYMBOLS Filed June 14, 1938 e Shets-Sheet ePatented June 11, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE William D. Ryan andRoy H. Hendrickson, Rochester, N. Y.

Application June 14, 1938, Serial No. 213,647

14 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for decoding symbols, and has to domore particularly with a mechanism that can be operated by a series ofkeys and automatically selects from a large number of units onecorresponding to a particular symbol, composed of a series of letters orcharacters.

In the packing industry, the various products, of which there may be alarge number put out by ,,a single plant, are ordered by symbols, eachsymbol comprising for instance three different letters of the alphabet.Thus ABC may represent bacon, BCD ham, CBD shoulder, and so forth, andwhen orders are telegraphed, symbols such as described are employedinstead of writing out the words in full, in order to save time andexpense.

It then becomes necessary at the receiving office in the factory totranslate or decode the symbols of the various orders before they arefilled and shipped, and heretofore this has been done by clerks whowould, upon consulting a record sheet, write on the order alongsidethe'symbol or symbols, the full name and description of the productcorresponding thereto. For instance, where the order carries the symbolABC, the clerk would write bacon, and after the symbol BCD, the clerkwould write ham, and so forth.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide an automatic mechanism soarranged that the operator would need only to depress keys or selectorscorresponding to the several letters of the symbol, and the machinewould thereupon print or otherwise indicate the particular symbol andthe name of the product which it represents, thus greatly facilitatingand reducing the time required for performing this operation.

More particularly, the invention has for the purpose to afford anendless carrier or chain provided with a multiplicity of printing units,each corresponding to one of the symbols employed, and controlling thecarrier through operating means and stop mechanism which acts to arrestmovement of the carrier at a predetermined point corresponding to theparticular symbol desired, such arresting operation being determined bykeys or selectors corresponding to the several letters or characters ofthe particular symbol.

A further purpose of the invention is to arrange such printing units onthe carrier in successive groups, and to provide a series of groups ofselectors corresponding to the grouping of the printing units on thecarrier so that by operating a key of the first group, the correspondinggroup of printing units is selected, by operating a key of the secondgroup, the corresponding secondary group of printing units is selected,and by operating a key of the third group, the corresponding individualprinting unit of said secondary group of printing units is selected.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford a simple and practicalmechanism that enables readily starting movement of the carrier andarresting such movement at a predetermined point, in accordance with theparticular selectors that! are operated, and thereafter easily andquickly effecting a record from the printing unit that is selected.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction andarrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the followingdescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, thenovel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of thespecification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a machine constructed in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevaton of the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, with partsbroken away;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 2 with the clutch inengaged position for moving the printing unit carrier;

Fig. 6 is a similar view with the clutch disengaged after movement ofthe printing unit carrier has been arrested;

Fig. '7 is a plan View, with parts removed, showing the normal positionof the stop mechanism before the selectors are operated;

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the position of the parts of the stopmechanism after operation of the keys or selectors;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7, withparts broken away and showing one selector operated and before movement01. the interlocking member or wheel;

Fig. 10 is a view in side elevation of the interlocking device or wheel,with parts appearing in section and showing the wheel after it has movedto engage the pin 54 in the Fig. 9 position, and. with one of the stopsBl selected;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line ll-H of Fig.10;

Fig. 12 is a similar view on line I2-l2 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the stop retainingmeans;

Fig. 14 is a detail sectional view on line i4-i=l of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a detail plan view of the operating keyboard or selectors,and

Fig. 16 is a detail View showing the impression made by one of theprinting units.

The invention my be carried out in conjunction with a mechanisminvolving a movable carrier provided with a multiplicity of units forindicating or printing different symbols, and in the illustratedembodiment, there is employed an endless chain with provision forinitiating its movement and thereafter arresting such movement inaccordance with the operation of a plurality of keys or selectors.

Referring more particularly to the drav. in which like referencecharacters refer to same parts throughout the several views, 1designates the carrier, see Fig. 1, comprising endless chains travelingaround sprocket wheels 2, 3 and 3 and the large sprocket wheel 5 that isfixed upon the driven shaft 5. The carrier or endless conveyor lincludes two oppositely arranged chains which are connected by a seriesof bars I, see Fi s. 3, 4 and '7, each of which carries printingcharacters l2, the data printed by one of the printing units beingillustrated in Fig. 16, as ABC Bacon.

It will be understood that there are as many printing units or bars H asthere are symbols provided for in the machine, and that each printingunit carries with its symbol the necessary information showing what thesymbol means. Thus for instance, another printing unit might prin uBCD'Ham, and so forth, the printin operation being effected after theparticular unit is selected by mechanism that will shortly be described.

The driven shaft 6, which effects movement of the endless carrier,carries a pulley l 3 fixed thereon, see Fig. 7, engaged by a belt l4that engages the driving pulley l5, fixedly connected to or constructedas part of a sleeve IS that is loosely mounted on the shaft 5! andadapted to be connected therewith by a clutch mechanism under thecontrol of the operator when it is desired to operate the carrier.

The shaft ll is driven continuously by an electric motor 18, see Figs. 2and '7, which drives pulley l9 through belt Eli, and the pulley id inturn drives pulley 2i through belt 22, the pulley 2! being fixed uponthe continuously operating driving shaft ll and adapted to be connectedwith the sleeve l6 by the operator in the following manner.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and '7, 23 designates a cam plate fixedlymounted on the shaft H and having pivotally mounted on one side thereofan arm 24 that is provided with a tapered dog or projection 25engageable with a V-shaped recess 26 provided in the sleeve l5 which isloose on the shaft ll. 2! is a spring connecting one end of the arm 2 toa post 28 fixed on the cam plate 23, and functioning to actuate the arm24 toward the position shown in 5, in which the sleeve 16, andconsequently the endless carrier, is operated by the shaft ll throughthe friction clutch mechanism described.

When the operator selects a particular symbol or printing unit byoperating keys or selectors as will be described presently, movement ofthe endless carrier is arrested at such point, and this results instopping movement of the sleeve l6, whereupon continued movement of theshaft ll and cam plate 23 causes the friction dog 25 to move out of thenotch or recess 26, against the action of spring 27, as shown in Fig. 6.The arm 24 is held in this disengaged position by a springactuatedlocking pin 29 which is movable through an opening in cam plate 23 andengages the side of the arm 24 to prevent its returning to the positionshown in Fig. 5 until the operator effects movement of a controllingdevice for this purpose. When the parts are in driving relation, asshown in Fig. 5, the locking pin '19 is immediately beneath the arm 24,and cannot move into locking position until it is released by the arm 24moving laterally, as indicated in Fig. 6.

The locking pin 29, see Figs. 2 and 'i, is connected to and controlledby the yoke lever 3| which is pivoted on a collar 32 carried by the camplate 23 and actuated by spring 39. The yoke lever 3! is engaged andadapted to be tilted by the disk 33 on a sleeve 34 that is movable end--wise on the shaft ll, such movement being eifected by a roller on theend of a lever pivoted on the bracket 36 and having its outer end (inected by a link 37 to a bell crank 38, see rig. 2, which is pivoted at39 on a suitable bracket and is connected to the rod 4! extendingupwardly therefrom. A handle or key 42 is provided at the upper end ofrod 4| in position to be engaged by the operator who depresses said rodii to withdraw pin 29 and thus initiate movement of the carrier throughthe mechanism just described, said key 42 being returned to normalposition by the spring 43.

With the parts thus far described, by depressing key 42, the endlesscarrier is adapted to more until arrested by stop mechanism governed bythe previous operation of certain keys or selectors, and the mechanismby which this stopping operation is effected will now be described indetail.

Referring to Figs. '7 and 8, the sprocket wheel 5 constitutes acontrolling device, and is provided with a stop 5| while 52 designatesan interlocking member or wheel that is adapted to be brought intointerlocking relation with the stop 5| at a selected point to be movedthereby and to be stopped at a second selected point by groups ofselectors, as will be described presently. The interlocking member orwheel 52, as shown in this embodiment, is loosely mounted on the shaft 6upon which it may turn and is also axially movable thereon and providedwith a stop 53, Figs. 7 and 10, that is engaged by one of a series ofpins or stops 54 which are adapted to projected by the flexible cables55 that are under the control of the keys or selectors 58, see Figs. 8and 9. tors are shown in the group which determine the particular pointat which the stop 53 is engaged and the interlocking member 52 therebystopped in its travel in order to stop the endless carrier, although itwill be understood that the number of selectors in each group may bemultiplied, this depending upon the capacity of the machine and thenumber of printing units with which it is provided.

Four selectors in each group is sufficient to illustrate theconstruction and operation of the parts, there being a second group ofselectors to determine the point at which the interlocking member 52 isbrought into interlocking relation with the controlling device orsprocket wheel 5 to be driven thereby, and a third group of selectors todetermine the point at which the interlocking member 52 is moved axiallyof the shaft 6, to bring it into a position where it may be locked tothe controlling device 5, and the mech- In the present embodiment, fourselecanism by which these operations are performed will now bedescribed.

Mounted for transverse shifting on the interlocking member 52 is aseries of stops 6|, see Figs. '7, 9, 10, 11 and 12. There are four suchstops 6|, each slidable transversely of the interlocking member or Wheel52, and held normally in retracted position by a spring 62, see Figs. 11and 12. Each stop 6| is controlled by a follower 63 on the end of aflexible cable 64 which is movable endwise by one of the keys orselectors 65, see Fig. 15, there being one such selector 65 for each ofthe stops 6|, so that the operator by depressing one of the selectors 65causes the corresponding stop 6| to be moved transversely of theinterlocking member 52 and into the path of the stop 5|, as shown inFig. 8. When thus positioned, stop 6| is engaged by the stop 5| androtated thereby when the carrier moves, until the stop 53 oninterlocking member 52 is engaged by the selected stop 54 alreadydescribed, which arrests movement of the interlocking member andconsequently of the carrier. The mechanism will now be described foreffecting the necessary endwise or axial movement of the interlockingmember 52 from the position shown in Fig. '7, where it is out of lockingrelation, to the position shown in Fig. 8, this movement being effectedat a preselected time through a third group of selectors.

To accomplish this, the interlocking member 52 is provided with a disk66 that is engaged by a shifting bar 61 having a recess at its one endcooperating with said disk 66 to effect movement thereof when the bar 61is shifted endwise. Said bar 61 is pivotally connected at its outer endto a lever 68 pivoted to the frame of the machine at 69 and having aninner end 1n located in the path of a sleeve II that is slidable on ashaft 12 and adapted to be moved by a yoke 13 forming part of a bellcrank that is pivoted at 14 on the gear wheel 15.

The gear wheel 15 is engaged and driven by the pinion 16 that is fixedlymounted on the aforementioned driven shaft 6 so that the gear 15 isdriven along with and in fixed timed relation to the endless carrier,and at a selected point in the rotation of the gear 15, the bell crankcarrying the yoke 13 is tilted from the position shown in Fig. 7 to thatshown in Fig. 8 by operation of a selector, and through the mechanismjust described, effecting endwise movement of the shifting bar 61 fromthe position of Fig. '7 to the position of Fig. 8, and correspondingendwise or axial movement of the interlocking member 52.

To effect the necessary movement of the bell crank and yoke 13, a thirdgroup of, selectors 11 is provided, each controlling a cable 18 andplunger 19 which is thereby movable into the path of the roller on thearm 8| of the-bell crank so that when the latter reaches the particularplunger 19 that has been selected by the operator, it is swung to theposition of Fig. 8. The keys or selectors may be returned to normalposition by any suitable clearing mechanism which it is deemedunnecessary to show.

The mechanism as shown includes three groups of keys or selectorsindicated at 56, 65 and "I"! in Fig. 15, each group containing keyscorresponding to the letters A, B, C and D. The printing units on thecarrier are arranged in groups, that is to say, there are four majorgroups, corresponding to and selectible by the first group of selectors11, four secondary groups within each major group, the secondary groupscorresponding to and being selectible by the second group of selectors65, and four units or printing elements in each such secondary group,the individual printing units corresponding to and being selectible bythe third group of selectors 56. Briefly the operation of this part ofthe mechanism generally is as follows: the driving shaft l! is normallyin rotation but unclutched from the sleeve l6, see Fig. 6, so that thecontrolling device or sprocket wheel 5, driven shaft 6, and. the endlesscarrier I are stationary. The operator first depresses three keys orselectors, for instance, if the symbol to be decoded is ABC, the firstselector A of the first group TI would be depressed, the second selectorB of the second group 65 would be depressed, and the third selector C ofthe third group 56 would be depressed. Operation of the selector A inthe first group moves the corresponding plunger 19 inwardly, operationof the selector B in the second group moves the corresponding stop 6| onthe interlocking member transversely thereof, and operation of theselector 0' in the third group moves the corresponding stop 55 inwardly,as shown in Fig. 10.

The three selectors corresponding to the letters of the symbol to bedecoded having been operated, the carrier is started by depressing thekey 42 and rod 4|, see Fig. 2, causing the friction clutch to engage, asshown in Fig. 5. This efiects rotation of the shaft 6 and the sprocketwheel 5, see Fig. '7, and likewise turns the pinion l6 and gear 15. Thelatter continues to turn until the bell crank arm 8| is swung by thepreselected plunger I9. This effects movement of the shifting bar 61 andconsequent axial movement of the interlocking member 52 from theposition shown in Fig. 7 to that shown in Fig. 8, and when the stop 5|on sprocket wheel 5 reaches the selected stop 6| on the interlockingmember 52, it carries the latter with it in rotation until stop 53 onthe interlocking member is engaged by the preselected stop 54. Thisarrests movement of the sprocket wheel 5 and endless carrier, permittingthe friction clutch to disengage, as shown in Fig. 6, so that thecarrier is held with the printing unit that corresponds to the threeoperated selectors at the printing point.

Consequently, when the printing operation is effected, as will bedescribed presently, the notation ABC Bacon is printed on a sheet. Itwill be understood that any one of the four selectors of each group maybe operated, and. that there is a printing unit for each differentcombination of selectors. Thus there may be as many printing units asthere are possible combinations between the selectors of the threegroups, and by operating one selector of each group, for example, thekeys corresponding to ABD', or BAG, or CD13, the corresponding printingunit is automatically selected and brought to the printing point of themachine.

The printing units are preferably arranged on the carrier in foursuccessive major groups, as already mentioned, the first groupcontaining all the symbols commencing with A, the second groupcontaining all the symbols commencing with B, the third group containingall the symbols commencing with C, and the fourth group containing allthe symbols commencing with D. The portion of the carrier holding theprinting units in the major group would be determined by the actuationof one of the selectors of the first group 11.

Each major group of printing units would be arranged in four successivesecondary groups of printing units, in accordance with the second letterof the symbol. Thus the first secondary group would contain all symbolsin which the second letter is A, the next secondary group would containall symbols having the second letter B, the third secondary group wouldcontain all symbols having the second letter C, and so on, there beingfour of these secondary groups of printing units in each major group,and the secondary group selected depends upon the operation of theparticular selector 65 of the second group of selectors which operatesone of the stops 6|.

Each of such secondary groups contains four individual rintins units,the first in which the last letter of the symbol is A, the second inwhich the last letter of the symbol is B, the third in which the lastletter of the symbol is C, and so forth, and owing to the timed relationof the gear T5 to the movement of the carrier, and likewise the timedrelation of the interlocking member 52, the carrier is automaticallystopped at the particular point of the printing unit that corresponds tothe three selected keys. It will be understood that there will be asmany keys or selectors in each group as there are letters used in thevarious symbols. In th arrangement disclosed, the printing units employletters irom A to D, and if it is desirable to provide the carrier withmore printing units than are possible with four letters, this can beaccomplishe by increasing the number of keys or selectors in each group,but the operation or" the machine will be the same as already described.

The shifting bar 51, lever 68, and the parts connected thereto arerestored to normal position by the spring 83, and the bar 67 is held inthe position illustrated in Fig. 8 by a shoulder 34 that engages a notchon the side of the bar 6'! to hold the latter in the position shown inFig. 8 until it is restored to normal position by the operator. This iseffected by the depression of a plunger see Fig. l, which through acable effects downward movement of a conical member 81, the inclinedside of which engages the edge of the shifting bar 6'? and moves itlaterally from the position shown in Fig. 8 until the notch 8-3 is clearfrom the shoulder 36, whereupon the spring 83 retracts the lever 53' tothe position of '7.

It is also necessary to hold the selected stop 6! in the position towhich it is moved on the interlocking member $32 until the operation iscompleted, and th s is effected by the structure shown in 18' to 14.Each stop ti on the interlock ing member 52 is held in initial positiona ainst a bracket 88, fixedly secured to the wheel 62, by the spring 52which is located Fetween the face of the dis: 52 and a shoulder 89. Inorder to lock the stop iii in operating position, it is further providedwith recess 28 adapted to be engaged by a locking plate 5!, whi -atteris pivoted to a stud mounted on the wheel 52, and actuated by a spring92 connected at one end to the locking plate Eli and its opposite end toa suitable pin or bracket carried by the d L. 53 designate a series oflinks pivotally connected with the several locking plates 9!, one of eacpair of connecting links being slotted at to permit movement of any oneof the four locl'- ing plates ill independently of the others. Thus whenthe selected stop Si is actuated, as shown in Fig. 12, the locking plate9! that is adjacent thereto drops into the recess 99 under the impulseof the spring 82, as shown in Figs. 10 and 12,

and prevents return of the stop 6! to its initial position until thelocking plate is retracted. To eiiect release of the stop GI and permitits return to normal position under action of spring 62, there isprovided a cable or wire 94 connected to one of the locking plates 95,as shown in Fig. 10, and leading to an operating lever 95. By depressingthe lever or plunger 85, the operator depresses wire 94 and moves all ofthe locking plates 9i away from looking engagement with the stops 6i andthus permits return of the latter to initial position by theirrespective springs 62. This operation, and likewise the operating oflever 85 to restore the shifting bar 5'! to its initial position, areeffected after the printing operation has been completed and when it isdesired to restore the parts for another operation. The interlockingmember or wheel 52 is restored to its initial position, when released,by a spring 96, see Fig. 1, one end of which is connected to astationary post and the other end being connected to the interlockingmember, which also Car 5 a stop 97 that engages a bracket 98 when in itsinitial position, where it is held by the spring 98.

After the selected printing unit been brought to printing position bythe operations already described, it is desirable to effect a printedrecord, and to accomplish this, a ribbon lfli is provided, see 3, whichmay travel around suitable supporting spools mounted in lugs ids, seeFig. 2. Beneath said ribbon is a suitable support I03 upon which thepaper sheet is positioned, said support having an opening H14 thereonthrough which is movable a platen 565. When the platen I 85 is actuatedupwardly, it moves the paper with the ribbon thereabove against theprinting unit, effecting the desired record on the paper sheet.

The platen N35 is mounted upon a support I06 that is pivotally mountedon the arms ill and has connected thereto a post H33 pivotallyassoelated. with a connecting rod 519. The connecting rod 1&9 isprovided at its lower end with a suitable roller HQ that is engaged bythe cam plate 233 during rotation of the latter, when the connecting rodB86 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 in lull lines to theposition shown in dotted lines. To effect this, the connecting rod has85 has a link i i i pivotally connected thereto, see i Fig. 2, which inturn is connected through a bell crank H2 to an operating rod H5,-provided at its per end with handle i M.

Normally these parts are held in the position illustrated in full linesin Fig. 2, and after the printing unit has been selected, the operator,wishing to effect a printed record therefrom on the order blank or papersheet, depresses the handle H4, causing connecting rod 89 and with itthe roller ill! to be moved laterally, as shown in dotted lines in 2,into the path of the cam 23 so that upon the next rotation of the shaftll, the connecting rod moved upwardly by the cam 23 and the platen I05thereby brings the paper and ribbon into contact with the printingelement.

While the invention has been described with reference to a particulararrangement, it is not confined to the structure illustrated, and thisapplication is intended to cover any changes, modifications ordepartures coming within the purposes of the improvements or the scopeof the following claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with a movable carrier having a series of symbolsarranged in successive groups thereon and a carrier controlling device,of an oscillatory and axially movable interlocking member having aseries of stops movably mounted thereon for selective engagement withthe carrier controlling device, a group of selectors including oneconnected to each or" said stops, a second group of selectors any ofwhich can be operated to effect engagement with the interlocking memberat a predetermined point to stop its oscillating movement, means formoving the interlocking member axially into operative position, and athird group of selectors controlling said last named means, any of thelast mentioned selectors being operative to move the interlocking memberinto operating position at a predetermined point.

2. The combination with a movable carrier having a series of symbolsarranged in successive groups thereon and a rotary carrier controllingdevice movable therewith and provided with a stop, of an oscillatory andaxially movable interlocking member having a series of stops movablymounted thereon for selective engagement with the stop on the carriercontrolling device, a group of selectors for said stops, a second groupof selectors any of which can be operated to engage with theinterlocking member at a predetermined point to stop its movement, meansfor actuating the interlocking member axially, and a third group ofselectors controlling said last named means, any of the last mentionedselectors being operative to move the interlocking member axially at apredetermined time.

3. The combination with a movable carrier having a series of symbolsarranged in successive groups thereon and a rotary carrier controllingdevice movable therewith and provided with a stop, of an oscillatory andaxially movable interlocking member, means for moving said interlockingmember axially including a gear operatively connected to the aforesaidrotary carrier controlling device, a group of selectors operativelyassociated with said last mentioned actuating means and selectivelyoperable to move the interlocking member axially at a predeterminedtime, a series of stops movably mounted on said interlocking member forselective engagement with said stop on the carrier controlling device, agroup of selectors operatively associated with said movable stops on theinterlocking member, and a third group of selectors which areindividually operable to stop movement of said interlocking member at apredetermined time.

4. The combination with a movable carrier having a series of symbolsarranged in successive groups thereon and a rotary carrier controllingdevice movable with the carrier and having a stop thereon, of anoscillatory and axially movable interlocking member having a series ofstops movably mounted thereon for selective cooperation with said stopon the carrier controlling device, and a plurality of groups ofselectors cooperating with said interlocking member, one of said groupsof selectors determining the endwise movement of the interlockingmember, another of said group of selectors determining the movement ofone of the stops on said interlocking member, and the third group ofselectors determining the point at which the movement of theinterlocking member is stopped, relatively to movement of said carrier.

5. The combination with a movable carrier having a series of symbolsarranged in successive groups thereon and a rotary carrier controllingdevice movable with the carrier and having a stop thereon, of aninterlocking member movable toward and from and also with saidcontrolling device, a series of stops mounted on said interlockingmember, means for moving said interlocking member toward the carriercontrolling device, a group of selectors controlling said means formoving said interlocking member toward the controlling device, a secondgroup of selectors for moving the stops on the interlocking member, anda third group of selectors for engaging and stopping movement of theinterlocking member and controlling device.

6. The combination with an endless flexible carrier having a series ofprinting symbols arranged. thereon in successive groups, operating meansfor the carrier, a wheel engaged and driven by said carrier, a stop onsaid wheel, an interlocking member movable into and out of operativerelation with said stop on the wheel, a series of stops movably mountedon said interlocking member, operating means for the interlocking memberincluding a gear driven by said carrier operating means, an actuatormovably mounted on said gear and operatively associated with saidinterlocking member, and a plurality of groups of selectors, one of saidgroups of selectors effecting movement of said actuator at a selectedtime, another of said groups of selectors eifecting movement of one ofsaid stops on the interlocking member, and another of said groups ofselectors acting to stop movement of the interlocking member at apredetermined time.

'I. The combination with an endless flexible carrier having a series ofprinting symbols arranged thereon in successive groups, of stopmechanism therefor including an interlocking device and a series ofstops movably arranged thereon, a group of selectors operableindividually tomove the interlocking device in one direction at apredetermined time, a second group of selectors operable individually tomove said stops on the interlocking device for operation by the carrier,and a third group of selectors which are operable individually to stopmovement of the interlocking device and carrier at a predeterminedpoint.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination with amovable carrier having a series of symbols thereon and a carriercontrolling device, of a movable interlocking member having a series ofstops adjustably mounted thereon for selective engagement with saidcarrier controlling device to determine the point at which theinterlocking member is engaged and moved by the carrier controllingdevice, a group of selectors including one connected to each ofsaid'stops, a second group of stops adjustably mounted for selectiveengagement with said interlocking member to determine the extent of itsmovement, and a group of selectors connected to the latter stops.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination with amovable carrier having a series of symbols thereon and a carriercontrolling device, of an oscillatory interlocking member having aseries of stops adjustably mounted thereon for selective engagement withsaid carrier controlling device to determine the point at which theinterlocking member is engaged and moved by the carrier controllingdevice, a group of selectors including one connected to each of saidstops, a second group of stops adjustably mounted for selectiveengagement with said interlooking member to determine the extent of its7 movement, and means for automatically restoring the oscillatoryinterlocking member when released to initial position.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination with amovable carrier having a series of units corresponding to dilrerentcombinations of symbols thereon and a group of manually operatedselectors corresponding to each of the different symbols, of controllingmeans separately associating said selectors with said units, saidcontrolling means including a movable member having a series of stopsthereon which are selectively positionable by one of said groups ofselectors, and a second group of stops selectively positionable forengagement-with said member and controlled by another group ofselectors, whereby the operation of different com-- binations ofselectors affects operation of dinercnt units of the movable carrier.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination with amovable carrier having a series of units corresponding to differentcombinations of symbols and a group of manually operated selectorscorresponding to each of the different symbols, of controlling stopmeans for said carrier including an oscillatory interlocking memberhaving a series of stops mounted thereon and selectively positionable byone of said groups of selectors, and a second group of stops selectivelypositionable by another of said groups of selectors for engagement withthe interlocking member, whereby the separate operation of differentcombinations of selectors affects operation of different units of thecarrier.

12. In a machine of the character described, the combination with amovable carrier having a series of symbols thereon and a carriercontrolling device, of a movable interlocking member arranged to beengaged and moved by the controlling device to a predetermined stoppingpoint, a series of stops which are adjustable for selective positioningto determine the point at which the controlling device engages and movesthe interlocking member, a second series of stops which are adjustablefor selective positioning to determine the extent of movement of theinterlocking member, and separate groups of selectors connected to saidstops for operating them.

13. In a machine of the character described, the combination with amovable carrier having a series of symbols thereon and a carriercontrolling device, of an oscillatory interlocking member arranged to beengaged and moved by the controlling device to a predetermined stoppingpoint, a series of stops which are adjustable and arranged arcuately onthe interlocking member for selective positioning to determine the pointat which the controlling device engages and moves the interlockingmember, a second series of stops arranged arcuately around and spacedfrom the interlocking member and adjustable to determine the extent ofmovement of the interlocking member, and separate groups of selectorsconnected to said stops for operating them.

14. In a machine of the character described' the combination with amovable carrier having a series of units corresponding to differentcombinations of symbols and a group of manually operated selectorscorresponding to each of the different symbols, of controlling stopmeans for said carrier including a rotary controlling device, anoscillatory interlocking member mounted coaXially of the controllingdevice and having a series of stops mounted thereon which are adapted tobe selectively interposed in the path of the controlling device, asecond series of stops which are adapted to be selectively interposed inthe path of the interlocking member to limit its movement, and groups ofselectors connected to said series of stops.

WILLIAM D. RYAN. ROY H. HENDRICKSON.

